


Three Strikes You're...In?

by ThePretentiousBastard



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Enemies, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:48:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePretentiousBastard/pseuds/ThePretentiousBastard
Summary: When confusing emotions rise between the unbeatable champion of Galar and the powerful Hammerlocke gym leader, a friendship is put to the test. A friendly rivalry grows sour, tensions run high, and two boys grow into men, desperately trying to mend the damages to a broken friendship. A friendship that was so, so much more.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

The first strike was at a birthday party. Leon’s fifteenth birthday to be exact. 

It was a scorching, August night. A burning 35 degrees Celsius. The summer hadn’t been kind to the Galar region that year, hitting record high heat day after day. It didn’t help that many in the region simply couldn’t afford air conditioning, so a nearby standing fan was all they had. Raihan had once heard that air conditioning was a staple of life in the Unova region. He had joked that the Unovian’s were simply scared of a little heat, failing to realize that the region got far hotter in the summer than Galar usually. Feeling the crippling heat now, he felt apologetic towards the region. Still, with easy access to luxuries such as central air, the people of Unova didn’t realize how lucky they were, Raihan thought.

Despite the heat, two boys found themselves under a blanket fort in the darkness of the champion’s bedroom. Sweat glistened around Raihan’s forehead as the crushing heat of the blanket threatened to suffocate him. He inwardly cursed Leon’s choice to use such a heavy blanket in the dead of summer and even went on to question why bother building a fort at all if they were already shielded by the closed bedroom door. Leon had stated it was extra protection just in case his mom came in to check on them, though Raihan figured that Leon just wanted to make a fort, as childish as he was. So here they were, on the floor of the champion’s bedroom, under a makeshift fort that made Raihan think back to his single-digit years. His eyes locked onto the other boy sitting no more than four feet across from him who wasn’t in much of a better state than he was, bangs sticking to the wetness on his forehead with sweat marks forming under the arms of his overly tight tee shirt.

The bedroom windows were all open, desperately trying to blow in whatever breeze they could and the old standing fan quivered from the overuse throughout the summer, once again being cranked to the highest setting. Raihan was starting to find his love of the summer being put to the test. Exhaustion from a lack of adequate sleep was becoming the norm for him. 

Raihan turned his attention back to Leon, sitting impossibly uncomfortable in his champion gear. He watched as he stretched his shirt, clearly trying to keep it from suffocating his overheated skin. Raihan took in the motion, noting just how tight the shirt was. He had to wonder if it was a size too small with how it formed a skin tight barrier around the champion’s torso. Raihan thanked himself for choosing such a loose fitting shirt for himself to wear. He found himself loving loose, bulky clothing more and more these days. And today was no different considering he was able to feel any breeze that came through the window on his overheated skin, even if the breeze was a rarity.

His attention was drawn back to the champion as he watched him fidget, a frustrated expression on his face. With an annoyed grumble, Leon had clearly had enough of the heat. In one quick movement, he smacked his cap off his head before crossing his arms over the hem of his champion tee shirt. Raihan watched as the fabric was slowly lifted upwards, exposing tanned skin and a toned stomach. Leon rocked back and forth as he struggled to get the damp fabric over his chest. Raihan’s fingers twitched. He felt the urge to help him, but refrained. It just felt too weird to touch the champion in an undressed state. Instead, he just watched the champion doing his funny little shake until the sticky shirt was finally pulled over his head and chucked off to the side where his cape had been thrown ages ago, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.

Raihan took in the image before him. He had seen Leon topless before. After all, they had basically lived at the community pool with how hot it had been this year. But for some reason this time was different. At the pool, there was a crowd, they were in public. But here Raihan was alone with Leon in Leon’s childhood bedroom, at midnight, looking at him topless.

Leon sweat a lot. Like a real lot. It was common knowledge at this point. His pecs were literally soaked. Raihan took in the champion’s chest. Puberty was definitely being good to him. And he had only turned fifteen today! His chest was already huge with the help of the workout regiment he had started last year. And he had more growing to do yet. Raihan’s eyes followed a droplet of sweat that cascaded down Leon’s chest, catching itself on a dark nipple. He subconsciously licked his lips, holding in a low sound from his throat as the drop let gravity do its thing, trailing over the hardened nub before dripping to the floor.

Pulling himself out of whatever trance he was in, Raihan met Leon’s gaze just in time to prevent himself from being caught staring. Leon stared back at him with a smile that grew slightly sheepish when he met Raihan’s gaze. He watched as Leon fidgeted, a nervous chuckle escaping his throat as he reached up to twirl a strand of hair through his fingers. Raihan swallowed hard, feeling the tension in the air rise, pulling him back to reality. They were here for a reason.

The plan seemed simple enough. Wait until the party was over, sleep in the champion’s room as he always did when he slept over, wait for everyone else to go to sleep, and get his first kiss over with. The two had discussed the plan at nauseum leading up to the day. Raihan, being a couple months older, had complained about being fifteen and never having kissed someone. Leon on the other hand didn’t seem to care. Eventually, they both decided that on Leon’s fifteenth birthday, they would put an end to their kissless lives, even if Leon was really just going along with it out of sympathy for his friend's plight.

The agreement was that they would kiss each other, not out of any kind of feelings for each other, but simply out of trust. They would kiss so that they could tell their friends that they had kissed someone before and never speak about it again, never revealing who their first kiss was. Despite the seemingly fool-proof plan, the only thing stopping it from actually taking place was the two boys in question, fidgeting and uncertain.

“Well?” Raihan started. “Just do it already.”

“Okay….um. How should we do this?”

“What do you mean, how do you do it? Just lean forward and kiss me”

“You start then. You’re the one who asked me. Besides, you’re better at this stuff than I am.”

“Uh no, I’m not actually. Last time I checked, neither of us has kissed someone before, hence why we’re here.”

“Yeah but you’ve watched...porn before.”

The word ‘porn’ slipped out far quieter than the other words, as if it was a taboo subject. Raihan watched as the mere mention of the word lit up the champion’s cheeks with a slight tint of red that would be easy to miss, if he hadn’t been sitting so close. Raihan raised his eyebrow at this.

“What, and you haven't?”

“Well yeah...but I… not as much as you.”

Raihan rolled his eyes.

“Do we have to? I mean, kissing you is just kind of...weird.”

“If you don’t want to do it, then just say so. Also what about me is weird?”

Raihan felt a sharp pinch in the pit of his stomach. It was obvious that the champion didn’t mean anything by what he said. Afterall, it was pretty much impossible for the guy to be mean spirited towards someone considering how much of a softy he was when it came to other’s emotions. Despite this, Raihan couldn’t shake the feeling of being insulted nor could he shake the question of why. Leon shrugged.

“It’s not you that’s weird. It’s the kissing part.”

“What? You telling me you’ve never wanted to kiss someone before?”

“It’s not that...I just never really thought about it.

Raihan eyed the champion’s amber eyes trailing down to his lips occasionally. It was something as simple as leaning in for a few seconds, yet he couldn’t bring himself to move. Just lean in, lean out and they would be done.

“Alright, alright. On the count of three, we do it. Okay?”

Leon nodded sheepishly before focusing intently on Raihan.

“One...two…..Three!”

Both boys leaned in at the same time, far too abruptly for their own good, resulting in a disastrous clashing of teeth and noses.

“Ah-shit!”

Raihan pulled back, cupping his throbbing nose in his hands. His eyes wandered up to Leon who was in the same state of pain.

“You’re supposed to tilt your head in the opposite direction idiot!”

Leon threw him an apologetic look.

“But you didn’t say that.”

sighed, shoulders slouching.

“Okay, let’s try again. I’m gonna lean to the right, so you lean to the left. Got it?”

Leon’s brows furrowed with determination.

“Got it.”

Just as Raihan leaned in again, the champion stalled.

“Wait...my left or your left?”

“Your left.”

He leaned in again, only for Leon to break away.

“Wait, I thought you were gonna count till three.”  
Raihan groaned.

“For fuck’s sake Leon! Just...you know what? Fine. I’ll count to three, and on three, I’m going to lean in. I’ll lean to the right. You lean to the left. Your left.”

Leon nodded before taking a deep breath and slapping his cheeks with both hands. He looked Raihan intensely in the eyes.

“Okay.”

Raihan waited until Leon was ready before starting the countdown.  
“One...two...three.”

The two leaned in, slower this time. Raihan watched as the champion grew closer to him before his eyes gently closed. The next thing he felt was a soft pressure against his lips. He held fast to the sensation, feeling something rising in his stomach as he did so. Just as quick as he felt the warmth of Leon against him, the other boy pulled away quickly. Raihan pondered why that left him feeling slightly disappointed but chose not to question it.

Blue and amber eyes opened to greet each other simultaneously. Leon’s eyes trailed down ever so slightly though Raihan didn’t bother questioning what he was looking at. Whatever it was, Leon seemed deep in thought about it with the way his brow furrowed slightly. Raihan felt his stomach flutter but chose to ignore it.

“Okay, I think we-”

Raihan was silenced as Leon quickly pressed their lips together again, catching him by surprise. Despite this, his eyes closed as he accepted the second kiss, letting out a breath he didn’t know he had upon parting from the champion. The boy in question watched him with an unreadable expression. His brow furrowed slightly, deep in thought. Before Raihan had the chance to ask what was on Leon’s mind, the expression was quickly replaced with a stupid grin.

“We did it! Or.. you did it since it was your idea.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess we did.”

Raihan reached up to caress his lips. The feeling of Leon still lingering. His eyes wandered back to his friend who was staring curiously at him.

“What’s up Rai? Did I hurt you or something?”

There was something off about this situation. Not in a bad way, but in a weird way. In the near pitch black darkness of Leon’s bedroom, Raihan felt like he could make out the champion’s facial features more than usual. He peered into golden eyes that seemed to mesmerize him with the way they seemed to glow in the dark. Surprisingly long eyelashes fluttering open and closed with confusion. He’d never noticed Leon’s lips before, or how plump and soft they seemed, and felt. And then there was that slight facial hair Leon had recently started to grow. Not to mention his figure. He wasn’t built or anything, just toned. He used to be so lean and slim. Yet now his shoulders were filling out slightly. In fact, he was filling out a bit everywhere. It was weird, watching your best friend grow up like this. For some reason, Raihan felt warm. Not the warmth of the summer heat, rather a soft, fuzzy warmth in the pit of his stomach, and a place he would prefer not to mention. Where the hell did that come from?

“Uh, earth to Raihan?”

Raihan paused at the sound of his name. The eyes before him wore a look of curiosity as well as nervousness. There was a hint of something else in that facial expression that he couldn’t put his finger on. Or maybe he didn’t want to know. All he did know was that the look made him feel weird.

“Huh? What?”

“You zoned out for a second. You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“...you sure?”

“...Yeah.”

What was this feeling, he thought. And why was Leon suddenly making him feel that feeling? Why were those eyes making him feel warm? Why did that long hair Leon had suddenly decided to start growing out make Raihan want to touch it so much? And most of all, why did he really want to feel those lips on his again? There was a word on the tip of his tongue trying to describe how Leon looked in this moment. His brain knew the word easily, but it was too scary to think about. He couldn't think about his best friend with that word in mind. He shouldn’t. But he did. He had never thought much about Leon’s appearance aside from the fact that the champion had a habit of clothing himself like he was dressing in the dark. But for some reason, right now, under the dark of a make-shift fort with no lighting aside from the dim hue of Raihan’s phone carelessly tossed to the side, Leon looked so, so, sexy. The word knocked around in Raihan’s brain for a moment before he promptly turned away from the other boy, rolling onto his side.

“We should get some sleep. I’m tired.”

“I thought we were gonna stay up later.”

Raihan cursed himself for that promise. He really didn’t want to stay up anymore. Not with the air being so uncomfortable to him. Not with Leon making him feel weird. And definitely not with the tingling going on down below. Raihan vaguely remembered sex ed talking about how sometimes men would get erections without being aroused. Maybe that’s what it was, he thought. Hopefully, that’s what it was. 

“I...guess I can stay up. But only because it’s your birthday.”

Raihan heard the sound of shuffling behind him before he paused at the sensation of a warm body leaning over him. Not quite touching him, but much too close for comfort. Damn Leon’s poor sense of personal space. The champion leaned over Raihan, a look of innocent confusion filling his face.

“If you’re tired, you can sleep. I don’t mind.”

Raihan rolled over to face Leon, dragging some of the bedsheets over him in the process. He hoped there was enough to mask the slight bulge in his pants. Whether there was or not, Leon didn’t seem to notice. After all, his eyes didn’t even wander down there. Their eyes met again and Raihan once again could see something in the champion’s gaze that he couldn’t put his finger on. But it made him hot and tingly.

“Your mum’s cooking was really good.”

Leon paused, his expression changing from whatever that look was to pure confusion. Raihan knew the leap to that topic was bizarre, but he couldn’t take it anymore. The air between them was growing too tense for his liking. Plus, he felt nothing but sweet relief once that weird look was off the champion's face. Relief and disappointment? Why was that there?

“Uh… yeah. Yeah her cooking’s the best! I miss that I can’t have it all the time anymore.”

Raihan smiled, feeling the relaxed calm wash over him as Leon took the bait.

“And seeing Hop is really the best feeling in the world, you know? I miss him so much. I can’t believe he’s grown so much already! I remember when he was just up to my waist!” 

“You sound like your grandma.”

Leon laughed, lightly punching Raihan’s shoulder. The sound knocked around his head for a moment. Raihan couldn’t stop himself from following suit, laughing along with the champion. Why was his laugh so contagious?

________________________________________  
As exhausted as they were, the summer heat wouldn’t let them sleep, so the two boys talked and laughed their way through most of the night. Leon had bags under his eyes at this point. Raihan had a feeling that he wasn’t in a much better state. He eyed the nearby window, seeing a dull blue hue swallowing the darkness of the sky. The sun was rising.

“Looks like we stayed up all night.” Raihan yawned.

“My mum would kill me if she found out.”

Raihan laughed sarcastically.

“Uh oh. Is the champion rolling with the bad kid? Guess I’m a bad influence.”

Leon gave a weak laugh, obviously too tired to muster up a better one.

“Maybe we should actually try to sleep. I’ve gotta go back to Wyndon to meet with Rose tomorrow...or today I guess.”

Raihan nodded.

“Night Leon.”

“Goodnight…”

Raihan rolled over, feeling his exhaustion consume him. His body seemed to sink into the sheets below, finally dragging him towards sleep. The last thing he heard was the soft breathing of the passed out champion behind him. Pushing down whatever strange sensation was pooling in the pit of his stomach, Raihan found sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The second strike happened in the locker room of Wyndon Stadium.

A loud bang rang out through the empty room, bouncing off the cold, tiled walls. Raihan cursed under his breath, dragging his fist down the locker labeled “241”. Pulling his hand away, he flexed his fingers, feeling the dull ache in his knuckle that would likely leave a bruise later. He lost. _Again._ How many times had it been now? 7? 8? Leaning his head against the metallic surface, he resisted the urge to scream. With a deep breath, he pushed himself away from the locker door, making his way to the automated Poke Center in the corner where he dropped six Pokeballs into the slots.

They had trained so hard. Trained every day in fact. Raihan could vividly remember waking himself up before the sun to train his team day in and day out, despite himself being one of the least morning people persons he knew.

His Pokemon had worked so hard for this day. So, so hard. And he failed them, again. He always failed them. Always fell short. Always just one step behind a certain someone. Someone who was now probably already celebrating another year of being undefeated. A tiny voice whispered in his mind.

_You’ll never amount to anything._

Raihan pushed that thought away just as quickly as it surfaced. He had long forgotten who had said that to him. Was it his mother? Not likely. She was too busy pretending he didn’t exist to scold him. Was it one of the many servants that came and went from the manor he had called home as a child? Or had it been one of his teachers, exasperated and on the verge of giving up on him? Raihan sighed, putting the thought out of his mind. It didn’t matter anyway. It had been too many years ago. Instead, he chose to focus on both not combusting into a fit of rage or bursting into tears. He would be in front of camera’s and interviewers soon. The last thing he needed was to be asked if he had been crying.

“Rotom…”

As if on cue, the phone was at attention, awaiting its trainer’s command.

“Put on Calm by Nature playlist…”

With a small beep, the sound of quiet tranquility filled the room. Raihan nodded a thank you towards the phone before focusing on deep breathing.

In…

And out

In…

And out…

He finally opened his locker, sifting through for his towel and a change of clothing. He eyed the crisp blue and orange uniform folded neatly, still encased in plastic wrapping. He hesitated before pulling the outfit out of his locker. Turning it around revealed his number across the back, 241.

* * *

_Your mother wanted you to have this, Master Raihan.”_

_Raihan eyed the package that the butler was handing to him. An orange and blue gym uniform that was unmistakable as the Hammerlocke Gym uniform. Raihan eyed the package before turning his back to the man, his blood already starting to boil._

_“Throw it out.”_

_He heard the butler’s breathing pause momentarily._

_“But master Raihan… these uniforms, they are not cheap to make. Surly if you have no use for the clothing, I can offer it to another gym challenger.”_

_“Read the numbers across the back.”_

_The man hesitated, a realization dawning on him._

_“Oh. Yes, I see it is labeled with your number. I suppose it can’t be helped.”_

_The butler stepped closer to Raihan; the clothing still folded in his arms._

_“Master Raihan. I humbly ask you to accept this gift. Your mother spent great money to have this made for you specifically.”_

_“Did I ask her to do that? No. Now throw it out.”_

_When the butler made no move to do so, Raihan snatched the article of clothing._

_“Then I’ll throw it out.”_

_The butler watched in disbelief as Raihan tossed the article of clothing into the nearby fireplace. Raihan watched as the fabric struggled to catch fire._

_“Tck, stupid high-quality crap.”_

_Unfastening a Poke ball from his waist, Raihan called out Turtonator._

_“Light it up.”_

_Without hesitation, the Pokémon blasted fire into the fireplace, ending the uniform in an instant. Raihan whipped his head around as he felt the butler grab hold of his hand._

_“Let go of me!”_

_“Master! This uniforms cost your mother a fortune!”_

_“Do I care? Look around you.”_

_Raihan threw his arms up, gesturing towards the high ceilings, the grand stairway and the immaculately detailed furnishing. “Do you think we’re starving for money? She can get another one if she really wants it.”_

_“Your mother is going to be furious with you when I tell her- “_

_“Stupid bitch doesn’t know how to get angry! You think I’m scared of her?”_

_“Master Raihan!”_

_Ripping his hand away from the butler, Raihan bolted as fast as he could. He took the stairs two at a time before turning a corner. The butler called back to him, giving up once he heard the familiar sound of a bedroom door slam shut. Sighing in exasperation, the man whipped out his phone to dial his boss’s number._   
_On the floor of a bedroom far too large for a single child, Raihan sat with his hands around his knees, head down. He didn’t even flinch when he heard his door creek open. Expecting to be yelled at, Raihan was surprised to feel a familiar warmth and a low growl next to him. Raising his head revealed a concerned looking Turtonator. The Pokémon tilted its head to the side, muttering another low sound of concern. Standing up slowly, Raihan wrapped his arms around the Pokémon._

_“I don’t want to be the gym leader. I’m gonna be the champion. She’ll see.”_

_He hugged the Pokémon harder, trying to muffle the hiccup of a sob against the creature._

_“Everyone’s gonna see.”_

* * *

Raihan shook his head, emptying that memory from his thoughts. He eyed the uniform again noticing the size difference between the article of clothing from back then and the one he held now. Had he really grown that much? Granted, it had been five years ago.

Raihan had lost count of the gym uniforms he had destroyed over the years. He had burned more than one, tossed some in the trash, slashed a couple more. Each time, one of the maids or butlers would present him with a new one like it had never happened. This went on for years. Sure, the servants scorned him something awful for a while, but eventually they gave up entirely. And in all that time, his mother never scolded him once. When she was around, as rare as it was, she would just stare at him with the same deadpan eyes she always had before making a call to have another uniform made.  
All this effort, all the anger, and hostility, and defiance of something. What it was, he didn’t know. It wasn’t like being a gym leader was even bad. If anything, it was admirable. It even looked like fun. So why couldn’t he just get being champion out of his head and accept a readily available role for himself? He didn’t even want to be champion, he just wanted to beat Leon.  
Part of Raihan still wanted to slash up the uniform he currently held but alas, he refrained. He could hear his younger voice ringing in his ears.

_“I’m gonna be the champion. She’ll see. Everyone’s gonna see.”_

Naïve brat, Raihan thought.

Raihan was ripped from his thoughts at the sound of the locker room doors creaking open. There were no other challenges today, so he had been under the impression that he’d have the room to himself. To his surprise, a pair of unmistakable amber eyes peeked out through the small crack that had been opened enough to stick someone’s head through. Messy, wind tussled, purple hair was barley controlled by the familiar cap on top of his head. The amber orbs, full of confusion, quickly relaxed upon making eye contact.

“Hey Rai!”

Raihan watched Leon approach. He noticed the sand particles that still lingered in his hair. Must not have showered yet, he thought. Turning around, he returned the warm greeting.

“So, what brings Galar’s golden boy to the lower-class side of the lockers today?”

Leon pouted.

“Oh, come off it. A locker room’s a locker room.”

“Uh last time I checked; this is a locker room. Your locker room is more of a locker suite.”

Leon shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. A locker room is a locker room and a shower is a shower.”

Raihan raised a knowing eyebrow at the champion.

“You got lost, didn’t you?”

“No!...Alright maybe.”

Raihan broke into a laugh while Leon folded his arms.

“It’s not my fault the room’s so hard to find. Besides, I don’t need my own locker room, really.”

Raihan scoffed. “No one needs their own locker room. Sure, would be nice to have one though.”

“It’s nothing special. Plus, you don’t get to talk to the other challengers.”

“Sound’s nice to me.”

“Well, that’s because your anti-social.”

Raihan pretended to be hurt by such an accusation.

“What? Me? The internet sensation? Nonsense!”

Leon rolled his eyes, waving him off.

“What I really mean is…I just don’t like being treated like I’m better than everyone else. Being the champion is just a title. I’m still just a trainer like everyone else here so…”

Raihan chose not to respond. _But you’re not just a trainer like everyone else._ Why be so humble, he thought. And more importantly, why was that humbleness so irritating to him? Shouldn’t he be happy  
Leon isn’t some insufferable asshole who gloats every chance he gets? Instead of questioning it, he turned back to his locker to sort out the last of his shower supplies.

“Hey, what are you listening to?”

Raihan paused, eyeing his Rotom phone realizing he hadn’t shut off the music.

“Uh…it’s…”

He really didn’t want to talk about his need for meditation. Sure, plenty of people meditated but the last thing he needed was to show that he needed something comforting to keep himself from becoming a ticking time bomb of emotional outbursts. Leon was still his rival and he didn’t need to know his weaknesses off the field, even if he knew him in and out while on it.

“Just something that helps me focus. Gets my brain thinking about what I did wrong in our battle.”

He turned back to Leon with a smirk on his face.

“Always have to be ready to reevaluate my plan to take you down next time.”

As if on cue, Leon approached him, puffing out his chest in mock bravado.

“Oh Raihan, you know I never lose.”

Both men broke into a laughter. It was nice. Without the cameras rolling, they didn’t have to be that way. Didn’t have to play up to the crowd. Raihan closed his locker and grabbed his now healed Pokémon off of the mini center.

“I take it you’re gonna need a shower, right? Considering all the sand.”

Raihan gestured towards Leon’s hair. Leon paused before taking off his cap only for more sand to escape from underneath it, dusting Leon in more particles. He coughed, dusting the sand smoke out of his face, shooting the other man an annoyed glance when he heard him laugh.

“Do you know how hard it is to get sand out of my hair?”

“That’s why I keep my hair short.”

Leon paused, eyeing the article of clothing slung over Raihan’s shoulder. His eyes lit up at the realization.

“Out of all the gym uniforms, I gotta say I think the dragon one looks the coolest.”

Raihan paused at the change in subject before his eyes trailed towards the gym uniform over his shoulder. Something within him cringed. He wasn’t sure why. Ignoring that emotion, he planted a grin on his face.

“Gotta have the best uniform for the masters of the best Pokemon!”

Leon scoffed. “As if! All Pokemon are good Pokemon.”

“Yeah, yeah I know.”

“Are you changing into it?”

“That’s the plan.”

Raihan opened the door to the shower room, letting Leon go in first. Leon paused with his foot at the threshold of the door. Raihan tilted his head slightly in question only to be met with a sheepish smile.

“Can’t wait to see you in it. Bet it’s gonna look great on you.”

The air seemed to shift between the two, with teal eyes locking onto amber. Standing this close, Raihan could see deep into the champions eyes. For some reason, there seemed to be a question behind those orbs. It was as if something, perhaps someone was being tested. Just as quickly as the exchange began, Leon diverted eye contact, heading into the room. Raihan slowly closed the door behind them. What was that look for? And why was he feeling warm?

As always, Raihan was the first to finish showering. With the sheer amount of hair Leon had, it was surprising that he didn’t take even longer that he typically did. Even as he dressed himself, he could still hear the shower running, with Leon probably rinsing his hair for at least the third time.

Raihan eyed himself in the nearby mirror. His gaze trailed up and down the crisp uniform that now draped over him. He finally looked the part. The phrase ‘gym leader’ rang like a siren in his ears. Gym leader Raihan. He hated the sound of it. It was an accomplishment to be proud of and yet all he could feel was empty.

His attention was pulled to the water finally being shut off in one of the nearby showers. He could hear shuffling around, likely from Leon towel drying himself off. After a moment, the shower curtain was pulled back and Leon stepped out.

Before Raihan could react, his gaze was trailing up the champion’s form. Messy, towel dried hair draped over his strong, sculpted shoulders. His chest which was usually threatening to bust out of the confines of his shirt was now on full display, once again with water cascading down. Just like at his birthday party, Raihan idly thought. What was different was the sheer size of each pectoral muscle. If Raihan had thought Leon’s chest had been well defined before then he was mistaken. In his current state, Leon put his past self to shame in every way, shape, and form.

His eyes trailed down to his stomach, now sporting a well-defined set of abdominals. His towel was draped so loosely around his slim waist, Raihan was certain that he would catch a glimpse of something he shouldn’t if he continued to look. Seeking out any distraction he could, the gym leader pulled out his phone to idly browse nothing in particular.

“Wow, look at you! Gym Leader Raihan has officially entered the chat!”

Raihan would have laughed if he wasn’t so caught up in trying to ignore whatever reaction he was having to Leon at the moment. Instead, he chose to scold him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and get dressed before you flash me or something.”

“What? You don’t wanna see?”

The gym leader froze, his brain trying to process what the other man had just said. He turned back slightly only to jump, noticing just how little distance Leon had put between the two of them. On one hand, Raihan couldn’t see much of his body with him being so close, which was a blessing. But he was far too close and far too underdressed to be that close.

Leon looked up at him with an unusual expression. It was smug, taunting even. And even worse, it was making the gym leader hot. What left Raihan’s mouth in response wasn’t much. Rather it was the sound of a person trying to make words out of nothing. In response, Leon cocked an eyebrow at him, looking even more smug.

There was a familiar glint in the champion’s eye. A hint of something that Raihan didn’t want to know about. Or maybe he was too scared to. He’d seen that shimmer in his eyes before. Under the fort in Leon’s bedroom all those years ago. It was a look that even now, caused his stomach to jump.

“Would you get out of here!” Raihan stammered. “And put your damn clothes on. Friggin dumbass.”

Finally, Leon broke his façade, his loud laugh bouncing off the walls as he made his way over to his travel bag. Before he accidentally caught Leon’s towel drop, Raihan quickly turned back to his phone, uncertain of what to make out of the situation.

“I’m just toying you, mate. Besides, it’s not like I have anything you haven’t seen before.”

Leon paused.

“Made you blush, by the way.”

_Shit_

“Leon, so help me…”

The man just laughed, continuing to put his champion gear back on, leaving Raihan with too many questions to answer. What was any of that about? Was he just toying with him? He never messed with him like that before. _Dear god, was he actually flirting with me just now?_ He thought. The idea of that was both terrifying and titillating. And the gym leader hated that second response. This was his friend after all. He now had a word for that weird feeling from before. It was arousal.

“Alright, you can turn around now.”

Raihan’s response was slow. He didn’t fully trust Leon after what had just happened. So he peeked back as little as he could, uncertainty melting into surprise at what greeted him on the other side of the room. Leon sheepishly held out a large bag from one of the local designer stores.

“I know your birthday was a couple of days ago. Sorry for being late for that. But Happy belated birthday!”

Raihan eyed the package in surprise.

“Aw, come on Leon. You know you didn’t have to.”

Raihan eyed the bunched-up fabric filling the bottom of the bag. He curiously pulled the article of clothing out, holding it in front of him. What greeted him left him speechless. A baggy black sweat jacket with orange accents. What was truly striking was the scale pattern across the front and the fangs that outlined the hood. Before the gym leader could even react, Leon was already speaking.

“There’s a headband in there too. You were saying that your hair gets in your face a lot. You know, how you have a couple of short strands that won’t stay in your ponytail? Yeah, so I thought it might help.

“Leon...where did you find this?”

Leon paused momentarily before scratching the back of his head, a nervous laugh escaping his throat.

“Uh well… I didn’t exactly find it. I kind of had it custom made. I-I hope that wasn’t too much. I just thought, well, you say you get cold easily and...and I thought it matched your new gym uniform. So...yeah. See I can remember things about fashion! So...”

The champion paused his ramblings once bright blue eyes met his. Somehow, in Leon’s complete fashionless glory, he had managed to get an article of clothing custom made that just screamed Raihan from every stitch. Raihan was too stunned to even question the sudden flustered behavior after Leon had made no effort to appear shy earlier. Though he still inwardly questioned it.

“You did all that, just for me?”

“Uh...yeah. Sorry if I went overboard. I totally get it if you don’t-”

“I love it. I love everything about it. Leon… it’s just...it’s perfect. I just can’t believe you did all this for me. I mean this had to cost a fortune.”

Leon shrugged.

“I’d do anything for you, Rai.”

What

“What?”

“Well maybe not anything. I-I mean...I just wanted to make you happy so...it’s a small price to pay. I guess what I’m trying to say is… there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you.”

Raihan paused. It was happening again. That sensation in his stomach. That warm, fluttering feeling. Butterflies, people called it.

In hindsight, there shouldn't be anything particularly wrong with this exchange. Just a friend giving a well thought out gift to another friend. But it wasn’t that simple. It was never that simple. Raihan was never that simple. All he knew was that it was beginning to feel like Leon’s fifteenth birthday all over again with confusing emotions that he had no clue what to do with.

“So…” Leon began. “You wanna try them on?”

Raihan paused, realizing that he had been spacing out for too long.

“...Hell yeah!”

Raihan put on the oversized hoodie and strapped the headband into place. He immediately made his way over to the mirror, posing in front of it, checking out the outfit from different angles.

“Wow…” Leon whispered.

The gym leader eyed the champion’s reflection in the mirror. He sat just slightly behind him, a slightly entranced look on his face. Raihan tilted his head back to meet Leon’s gaze, only to find his eyes slowly trailing over his form. Being ogled at was nothing new to the gym leader. After all, he knew he looked good. But somehow, having Leon’s gaze on him like this was both nerve racking and exhilarating. Was he checking out the outfit? Or was he checking him out? Leon’s gaze trailed down his legs, pausing for a few seconds. Before Raihan could respond, Leon quickly met his gaze, the look of what could only be described as hunger quickly changing to an admiring smile.

“Looks just as good as I thought it would.”

Raihan chose not to meet Leon’s gaze. It was a simple compliment. And he was no stranger to compliments. But for some reason, this made his face heat up. It pissed him off slightly. Normally he could take a compliment in stride. He basked in them. But with Leon, he found himself turning into an entirely different person, unable to control himself from becoming flustered.

“So, this is really the last time you’re doing the gym challenge, huh?”  
Raihan paused, questioning the sudden change in conversation. He noticed the air of sadness hidden behind those words. He didn’t know why, but he could feel it too. Turning back to the champion, he could see a slight level of melancholy behind his eyes.

“Yeah…guess it is.”

“I’m gonna miss this, you know. Watching you work your way up to battle me, that is.”

“Why? It’s not like I’m giving up on beating you. I’ll still be your opponent at the champion cup.”

For some reason Raihan didn’t trust his words. Sure, he could still challenge Leon, but running a gym changed things. He wasn’t allowed to focus squarely on training anymore. He had a job, he had responsibilities. He’d have to train other people in addition to his own team. He’d have to oversee the strongest gym in the region in addition to providing security to Hammerlocke’s vault, a job entrusted to Hammerlocke gym leader’s for generations. And worst of all, he’d have to take on gym challengers.

Raihan grimaced. That was one of the worst parts of being a gym leader. Unlike Leon, he didn’t enjoy seeing up and coming trainers. For Leon, new trainers meant watching everyone try and fail to end his undefeated win streak. For gym leaders, their job wasn’t to build a win streak. It wasn’t to wow the crowd or be idolized by audiences all over the region. The champion’s job was to win. A gym leader’s job was ultimately to lose. To put up a good fight, but ultimately hand over a gym badge to some child who’d potentially become the next champion.

He wasn’t a new challenger anymore. He was washed up. He was old news. His spot as a gym challenger would likely be replaced by some new kid who may one day become the next champion.

He’d missed his chance.

“Yeah. I know you will.”

Why did he sound so unsure?

“I’m gonna have a lot on my plate these days with tending to the gym and all, but don’t get the idea that any of that changes anything. I’m still your rival and I’m still gonna be the one that ends your win streak. So, don’t forget it.”

Leon seemingly shook off whatever sadness had overcome him.

“Well that just means that this is the start of a new beginning for you. Exciting right?”

Not really, was what Raihan wanted to say. He could still feel the pinch of his childhood dreams slowly slipping away. Being the champion, being the best. Why he held fast to that, he didn’t know. Afterall, he could challenge the championship cup without even having to work his way up to it now. He’d still get to fight Leon so long as he didn’t lose to another challenger.  
He tried to mentally sever the ties between his current self and his past self, feeling his younger self screaming at him. Desperately trying to claw his way out of a person who he no longer knew. He could only imagine the level of betrayal and lack of respect that young boy would feel if he could ever come face to face with the person he is now. Someone who falls in line, does what he’s told.

“Right.” He said, putting on his best smile.

The two made their way out of the locker room and down one of the many halls of the stadium. Raihan led the way, knowing just how lost Leon would get them. As the two closed in on the swinging double doors, they could hear the muffled sounds of camera clicks and conversating voices behind the door. Taking a deep breath, Raihan glanced at Leon who was in the process of preparing himself for the long interviews ahead.

Leon adjusted his cap, smoothing down his hair, and took a deep breath before slapping his cheeks. It was a gesture known by many, basically being Leon’s signature move before tossing his cape at the beginning of a battle, yet Raihan felt like he was privy to something no one else saw. The nervousness and anxiety behind this ritual. No person in the audience knew how much stage fright plagued the champion. While Raihan didn’t get joy from Leon’s anxiety, he did smile, knowing how much the champion must trust him to be that vulnerable him.

“You ready, champ?”

Leon relaxed his posture to the best of his ability, trying to emulate effortless confidence. He smiled softly at the gym leader. Not his trademark champion grin, but a warm and slightly timid smile that made Raihan’s heart do backflips. He inwardly grimaced.

“As ready as I’m gonna be.”

Why was this happening, he thought. Why were those emotions that he thought he had under control coming back so strongly? As much as he wanted to ignore it, there was no denying that Leon made him feel things. Things he was still too afraid to admit to. His laugh, both in timidity and heartily. His eyes, whether filled with nerves in front of the press or passion in the heat of battle. Or whatever they were filled with earlier. It all turned him on. And that scared him. Raihan nodded before they both stepped forward, pushing open the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole two months and some change passed before getting back to this. Oh well. Better late than never. Anyways, I was struggling with where I wanted this story to go. During the writing process for chapter 2, I noticed that I was going to have to make edits to the first chapter for the story to flow properly. Nothing drastic. I just changed the timing certain things happened in the character's lives. For example, I wanted Raihan to be becoming the gym leader in chapter 2 so I removed any dialogue referencing him being the gym leader from chapter 1. Other than that nothing has changed so if you already read the first chapter, you won't need to read it again since the basic plot is still the same. Anyways, as always, constructive criticisms are welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing critiques are welcome.


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